Flange-connected well head apparatus



July 2, 1963 A. F. RHODES 3,095,927

FLANGE-CONNECTED WELL HEAD APPARATUS Original Filed July 26, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 79 g //0 3 L 74 L INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY July 2, 1963 A. F. RHODES FLANGE-CONNECTED WELL HEAD APPARATUS Original Filed July 26, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY [Mama 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent Oil ice 3,095,927 Patented July 2, 1963 3,095,927 FLANGE-CGNNECTED WELL HEAD APPARATUS Allen F. Rhodes, Houston, Tex., assignor, by mesne assigninents, to McEvoy Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Continuation of appiication Ser. No. 674,385, July 26,

1957. This application Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,505 Claims. (Cl. 16675) This invention pertains to dual well completion apparatus, and particularly to such apparatus for use in completing relatively high pressure wells, the invention providing, in such apparatus, safe means for connecting heavy and cumbersome equipment such as lubricator devices to the top of the well completion apparatus.

This application is a continuation of my prior co-pending application Serial No. 674,385 of the same title, filed July 26, 1957, and now abandoned.

A lubricator device or a lubricator, as herein used, is a pressure-lock device used for running apparatus into a well under pressure. The lubricator is sealingly connected above the well and the apparatus to be run placed therein, after which the top of the lubricator is closed and pressure from the well admitted into the lubricator. The apparatus to be run is then lowered out of the lubricator into the well, after which the lower end of the lubricator is closed and the well pressure in the lubricator vented so that the lubricator may be removed. Apparatus may be removed from the well by reversing this procedure. The lubricator may remain in place above the well while the apparatus is used in the well and then removed.

The lubricators, especially those used in the case of high pressure wells, are often very cumbersome and heavy. For example, on a high pressure gas well above which is installed a 10,000 pound pressure dual Christmas tree, the lubricators used for wire line service at this pressure are nearly twenty feet long and weigh in excess of one thousand pounds. These lubricators are installed upright above the Christmas tree, so that considerable strength at their connections to the tree is required in order that the lubricator will be securely held in its vertical position without subjecting the Christmas tree and lower components of the well completion to dangerous stresses and strains.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide well completion apparatus capable of supporting cumbersome and/or heavy surmounting equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus for use with parallel string multiple completion wells.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus for dually completed wells having nonsconcentric parallel completion string, the apparatus includ ing eccentric means having reversible positions whereby to be useful for each completion of the well.

A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus wherein access means is provided to each completion string for purposes of testing and the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus taken at a plane through the two bore axes;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section showing the upper element of the apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the element shown in FIGURE 2, taken at line 3-3 of that figure; and,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial view, in vertical section, of the apparatus, showing the upper element in reversed position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a dual well completion apparatus or Christmas tree includes a tubing head 10 of conventional design with two strings of tubing 11, 12, extending thereinto from a well. Preferably the tubing is of the flush joint type (joints not shown) so that the sum of the external diameters of the tubings may equal the internal diameter of the casing (not shown) which will be disposed therearound and suspended in the usual casing head (not shown) on which the tubing head 10 is supported. The tubing head is provided with outlets 13, 14 through which communication may be estab lished with the space 15 inside the casing outside the tubing strings.

The tubing strings 11, 12 are suspended in the well from their threaded connections into a suitable tubing hanger assembly "16 which is fully described in United States patent application Serial Number 596,789, filed July 9, 1956, by Ray S. Burns and entitled Dual Well Completion Apparatus, which application has now matured into US. Patent No. 3,011,804. The hangerassembly 16 includes a hanger body 1611, having two parallel vertical openings each of which receives and supports one of the identical hanger couplings 16b, 16c. Tubing string 11 is sealingly screwed into the lower threaded socket of coupling 16b, and tubing string 12 is sealingly screwed into the lower threaded socket of coupling 16c, the tubing strings being thereby supported in the well. Sealing nipples 11a and 12a are respectively threadingly and sealingly connected into the upper threaded sockets of couplings 16b, 16c, and extend therefrom into the surmounting equipment to provide parallel fluid flo-w paths from the tubing strings into the surmounting equipment. Hanger assembly 16 also includes resilient sealing or pack off element 16d which is compressed by bolts (not shown) extending through upper compression element 162, pack off element 16d, and support element 16 and screwed into tapped openings in the upper surface of hanger body 1601. Pack ofl element 16d forms fluid-tight seals between the couplings and hanger body, and a fluid-tight seal between the hanger body and the tubing head 10 is provided by the sealing rings 16g. A plurality of lockscrews 17 radially through flange 19 hold down the hanger body 16a in the tubing head openmg.

Mounted on the upper tubing head flange 19 is a dual well bore valve device 20 having a lower flange 21 fastened to flange 19 by bolts 22 and sealed by steel ring gasket '23.

Device 20 has two parallel vertical passages 25, 26 of circular cross-section therethrough. Each of the passages 25, 26 is enlarged near its lower end at the counterbore 27, 28 to receive the upper end of one of the nipples 11a, 12a, which are threadingly connected at their lower ends into the hanger assembly 16, and which communicate through the hanger assembly with the tubing strings 11, 12, as shown in application Serial Number 596,789 (now US. Patent No. 3,011,804) referred to above. The upper end of nipple 11a is shown received in counterbore 27 and the upper end of nipple 12a is shown received in counterbore 28. The lower portion of each counterbore 27, 28 is diametrically enlarged to provide an annular packoff space for the identical upper resilient packing rings 29 and the steel gland rings 30. The two rings 30 are urged upwardly against packing rings 29 by a compression plate 31, the lower edge thereof being beveled at 32 for angular engagement with the inner conical ends of a plurality of lockscrews 33 which are radially through flange 21. A circular opening 34 in the form of an enlarged counterbore overlapping both counterbores 27, 28 receives the compression plate. Compression plate 31 is moved upwardly in opening 34 by screwing in the receive identical gates and seats forming parts of a valve for controlling flow through passage 26. The dual bore valve device 26 and the flow controlling valve thereof are preferably of the type shown in US. Patent application Serial Number 534,842, filed September 16, 1955, by James L. Wallace, and entitled Dual Bore Valve, now Patent No. 2,859,773.

Dual bore valve device has upper flange 61 by means of which connection is made to surmounting equipment. The upper ends of passages 25, 26 are threaded interior-1y at 62, 63 to form sockets for sealingly connecting pipes or pipe nipples to the passages.

A port 65 threaded at its outer end to receive a pipe nipple 66 is provided radially through flange 71 of device 70 for pressure testing the joint between flanges 61, 71.

A device 70 is mounted above device 20, lower flange 71 of device 70 being'bolt ed by bolts 72 to the flange 61, a steel ring gasket 73 providing a seal between the two flanges. Device 70 has an eccentric cylindrical body 75 through which is provided a vertical passage 76. Centered :at the axis of passage 76 is an upper flange formation 77 the edge of which is flush with the side of body 75 at one side 78 thereof, and which overhangs the body at the opposite side 79. The upper surface of flange 77 is tapped to receive bolts 81 by means of which a flange such as flange 82 ofapparatus 83 may be connected above flange formation 77. A steel ring gasket 84 provides a seal between these flanges.

Device 70 has a second passage 86 which is L-shaped, the lateral part 87 exiting from side 78 of body 75. Passages 76 and 86 are located in positions ialignable above the two passages 25, 26 of device 20. In FIG- URE 4 passage 76 is shown aligned with passage 25, while in FIGURE 1 passage 76 is shown aligned with passage 26, passage 86 being accordingly aligned with the other passage of device 20 in either case. The bolt :holes in flange 77 for the bolts 81 are so disposed that device 70 can be alternatively placed in either of these positions so'that passage 76 can be placed above either passage 25 or passage 26 of device 20. The valves in chambers 35, 38 of device 20 controlthe well pressure so that the reversal of device 70 can be made while strings 11, 12 are under pressure from the well.

Passage 25 communicates with a passage of device 70,

, the passage being either passage 76 or 86 depending on the position of device 70, through a pipe nipple 91) which is sealingly screwed into threads 62 at the upper end of passage 25. Tubing string 12 communicates with one of the passages of device 70 through a pipe nipple 92 which is sealingly screwed into threads 63 at the upper end of passage 26. Nipples l), 52 extend to the same height above device 29'and are of the same diameter so that each may be sealed into the corresponding bore of device 70 regardless of which of its positions device 70 is in.

Passage 76 has lower counterbores 96 forming a pack-0d n and form seals around the nipples in the counterbores. 7

If device 7d is positioned as in FIGURE 4 nipple is sealed into counterbore 96 and nipple 92 into counterbore 97, and if device 70 is positioned as in FIGURE 1, these connections are reversed, nipple 90 being sealed into counterbore 7 and nipple 2 into cou-nterbore 96.

The passage 86 has a threaded outlet at the mouth of lateral passage portion 87 into which may be screwed a nipple 106 connecting passage 86 with test or sampling equipment (not shown).

When a tool is to be introduced into either tubing string 11 or tubing string 12, device 70 is placed and connected in the position wherein its larger passage 76 is above the tubing string into which the tool is to be introduced. Then the lower flange of the lubricator is bolted to flange 77 of device 70. This flanged connection of the lubricator is as strong and rigid as the other well head connections at flanges 19, 21 and 61, 71. Therefore, the lubricator is safely connected to the well head apparatus, regardless of its length and weight, and there is no danger of failure of support for the lubricator as would be present if the lubricator were threadingly connected to the device 29. An identically strong lubricator connection with the top of the well head is made regardless of which tubing string is tobe entered.

A blank flange (not shown) of conventional design may 'be bolted and seated to flange formation 77 to close the upper end of passage 76 whenever it is expedient or necessary to do so. The flange may include ports and connection means (not shown) suitable for connection and operation of test equipment (not shown).

The upper end of passage 76 is threaded at 110 to receive handling tools or the like, not shown.

The type of lubricator assembl to be employed is variable depend'mg on the work to be performed, the tools to be run, and the choice of the operator.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, many modifications thereof may be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Well completion apparatus for dual completion Wells comprising tubing head means having an upper connection flange and an opening theretlirou-gh from the well for receiving a pair of tubing strings running into the Well, hanger support means in said opening of said tubing head means, hanger means supported in said opening of said tubing head means by said hanger support means and capable of supporting a pair of tubing strings running into the well, dual valve means having upper and lower connection flanges and having two non-concentric parallel vertical passages therethrough and having a valve means in each said passage for controlling flow of fluid therethrough, said lower flange of said dual valve means being sealingly connected to said upper flange of said tubing head, each of said passages of said dual valve means having disposed within its lower end seal means for providing :a sealed connection with the upper end of one of the tubing strings in the well extending thereinto, an adapter device having a lower connection flange sealingly connected with said upper connection flange of said dual valve means, said adapter device comprising a cylindrical body portion extending eccentrieally above said lower connection flange thereof having t-herethrough a flow passage vertically aligned above one passage of said dual valve means and also having therethrough an L-shaped passage aligned above the other passage of said dual valve means and also having :an upper connection flange means above said cylindrical body portion concentric with said one flow passage of said dual valve means and with said flow passage of said cylindrical body portion and including bolting connection means; said adapter device being capable of connection at said lower flange thereof with said upper flange of said dual valve device both in the position thereof hereinabove described and in another position wherein said flow passage of said cylindrical body portion is vertically aligned above said other passage of said dual valve device and said L-shaped passage is vertically aligned above said one passage of said dual valve device; whereby said flow passage and L-shaped passage of said adapter device may have corn- Inunication with either said passage of said dual valve means and the tubing string t'lierebelow.

2. Combination of claim 1, said flow passage through said cylindrical body portion of said adapter device being eccentric with respect to said dual valve means and with respect to said cylindrical body portion, said upper flange of said adapter device having a side aligned with one side of said cylindrical body portion, said L-shaped passage having a threaded outlet at said one side of said cylindrical body portion, whereby access is provided into one passage of said dual valve device firom the exterior of said cylindrical body portion.

3. Adapter device, comprising circular connection flange, a cylindrical body portion extending eccentrically above said connection flange and having a flow passage eccentrically therethrough, said flow passage also extend ing through said flange, an L-shaped passage through said flange and body portion having end openings at the lower face or" said flange and at :a side of said cylindrical body portion, a bolting flange formation forming the upper end of said cylindrical body portion and being circular and concentric With said flow passage and eccentric With said cylindrical body portion.

4. Combinatien of claim 3, said end of said L-shaped passage at a side of said cylindrical body portion being threaded.

5. Combination of claim 3, said flow passage and said L-shaped passage being spacedly disposed along a diameter of said cylindrical body portion coinciding with a diameter of said connecting flange disposed in the direction of eccentricity of said cylindrical body portion with respect to said connection flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,153,352 Tschappat Apr. 11, 1939 2,168,591 Tschappat Aug. 8, 1939 2,335,355 Penick et 'al. Nov. 30, 1943 

3. ADAPTER DEVICE, COMPRISING CIRCULAR CONNECTION FLANGE, A CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION EXTENDING ECCENTRICALLY ABOVE SAID CONNECTION FLANGE AND HAVING A FLOW PASSAGE ECCENTRICALLY THERETHROUGH, SAID FLOW PASSAGE ALSO EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FLANGE, AN L-SHAPED PASSAGE THROUGH SAID FLANGE AND BODY PORTION HAVING END OPENINGS AT THE LOWER FACE OF SAID FLANGE AND AT A SIDE OF SAID CYLINDERCIAL BODY PORTION, A BOLTING FLANGE FORMATION FORMING THE UPPER END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION AND BEING CIRCULAR AND CONCENTRIC WITH SAID FLOW PASSAGE AND ECCENTRIC WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION. 